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64-Bit or Not 64-Bit?
Q: I was a late starter with macOS Mojave; I only updated last month. Overall, I’m glad I did, but with one key
qualification. When launching certain applications, I get a message saying it’s not optimised for my Mac and
needs to be updated. Why? They always worked before in High Sierra, and they currently work fine in Mojave.
Are they suddenly going to stop working? Some of these apps are important to me, so I’m loath to lose them.
William Kent, Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire
Under a Cloud
Q: What’s happened to iCloud? I used to log in on my iPad, but now, when I go to http://www.icloud.com in the Safari
app, I only get access to Find My iPhone, Find My Friends, and a setup option. What’s happened to the rest of it?
Martin Harper, Shrewsbury, Shropshire
A: Apple has cut down access to iCloud from Apple mobile devices, as it doesn’t deem this necessary. Why use
iCloud for apps like Notes, Mail, Reminders, Contacts and the office suite when they’re right there on your iPad?
Thankfully, there’s an easy way to get to the regular iCloud site on your iPad. First, access http://www.icloud.com in
Safari. Tap and hold the Refresh icon in the URL address bar and choose ‘Request Desktop Site’ from the pop-up
menu, and sign in. You’re now on the desktop version of the iCloud site, as shown.
A: The apps that are giving you these messages are
32-bit. Without getting too technical, the terms 32-bit
and 64-bit are mainly used to describe a processor, with
the 64-bit chip being more capable. To date, Macs with
64-bit architecture have also been able to run programs
written for 32-bit chips, but the with the forthcoming
Catalina operating system, Apple has decided to let
them go.
This means 32-bit software won’t run on a Mac
running macOS Catalina, unless they’re first updated
to 64-bit by their developers. To see what 32-bit apps
you still have on your Mac, in the Apple menu (top left
corner), select About This Mac. Click the System Report
button, and in the left-hand column, click Software >
Applications. This lists all the apps on your Mac. In the
64-Bit (Intel) column, a ‘Yes’ means it is 64-bit, and a ’No’
means it isn’t, and therefore won’t work in Catalina.
If there’s an app you really can’t do without, that
hasn’t been updated by the autumn, hold off on
upgrading to Catalina until it is. Alternatively, use a
virtualisation app like Parallels Desktop to run Mojave
alongside Catalina, so you can still use your 32-bit apps.Tech Q&A//
If you’re having problems with your Mac, or there’s something you need to do on your iPhone but just don’t
know how, this is the section for you. Every issue, we take an in-depth look at your technical tantrums and
computing calamities, and do everything in our power to help you get up and running again.
As you can see, Call of Duty 4 is not currently optimised for 64-bit architecture, but we’re confident Aspyr will issue a patch
before Catalina is released so you can continue to enjoy this classic first-person shooter on your Mac.
AppleUserMAGAZINE